


Is This What They Mean By 'Karamic Payback'?

by AXEe



Category: The Orville (TV)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23540878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Kelly experiences some karmic payback, but she's fine with it...
Relationships: Alara Kitan/Ed Mercer
Comments: 8
Kudos: 14





	Is This What They Mean By 'Karamic Payback'?

**Author's Note:**

> Just call me 'Alice' because I've fallen down an "Orville" rabbit hole. It's quite nice down here actually :=)

******

“Ed?” Kelly peered past the doors into Ed’s darkened quarters. She didn’t like bothering him but that jerk of an admiral, Coleman, wanted to speak to Ed ‘now’ ( _‘and I don’t care if he’s off-duty, Commander, get him!’_ ).

Ass.

Stepping fully into the room, Kelly looked around.

“Ed?” she called out again “you in here?” she asked “listen, I know that you’re off-duty, but you weren’t answering the commline and his royal jerk-ness Admiral Coleman wants to talk to you,” she explained.

She turned at a sudden _thump_ from the upstairs sleeping area. Now she was getting worried, had Ed somehow hurt himself? Was that why he didn’t answer the comm, because he couldn’t? It was rare, but accidents did happen, people did still do things like slip in the shower and break a hip sadly.

Quickly climbing the stairs, Kelly peered into the darkness that surrounded the bed. She was going to regret this, she knew it she just knew it.

“Computer, lights” she ordered.

As the lights came on, two things happened:

Ed let out a scream like a little girl.

And Alara Kitan promptly dove under the bedcovers to hide.

“Oh! God!” Kelly promptly about-faced, staring at the opposite wall and absolutely refusing to look back “god! Ed, I am so—” 

“Doesn’t anybody _knock_ anymore?!” Ed demanded behind her “what, were you raised in a barn?!”

Finally, daring to look back, Kelly cringed as she saw Ed struggling to pull the covers around himself to cover his nudity even as Alara—still hidden under them in a little lump—pulled them back to cover herself, resulting in a tug of war.

“Look, just…two minutes, OK?” Ed pleaded.

“No, yeah, sure” Kelly nodded, already halfway down the stairs.

Down in the living area, she made a beeline for the food synthesizer and ordered a shot of bourbon, downing it in one gulp. Looking back up at the bedroom as she requested another drink, Kelly could hear rustling sounds and frantic back and forth whispering.

“ _I’m not panicking!!!_ ” Alara suddenly shrieked out.

There was a moment of silence, and then Alara—now fully dressed—came down the stairs and hurried past Kelly and out the door so fast you’d think that she was on fire.

Following her down, Ed also made a beeline for the food synthesizer, snatching the glass out of Kelly’s hand and gulping it down.

“So…” Kelly began awkwardly “this…is a surprise”

“Gee, you think?” Ed sneered. He tiredly rubbed at his forehead “sorry” he muttered.

“No, Ed, I’m sorry,” Kelly apologized “and, hey you want to yell at someone, do it to Admiral Coleman, he’s the one made me come down here”

“Great, what’s the blowhard want now?” Ed muttered as he headed for the doors, Kelly behind him.

“Don’t know,” she admitted “he wouldn’t say,” she explained as they stepped into the lift “so, how long’s this been going on?” she wondered.

“A while” was Ed’s guarded answer as the lift stopped and they both entered Ed’s office…

******

One very aggravating call and a political snafu later, and Kelly tracked Alara down to the environmental simulator, finding her beating the pulp out of a few holographic Moclans. Stepping back as the latest hologram sailed past her to hit the wall with a crash, Kelly took a breath, cringing as Alara turned to her.

Panting for breath, Alara stood at attention.

“Commander” she greeted stiffly.

“OK, look,” Kelly began “I don’t know what’s going on between you and Ed and I don’t care”

Alara blinked.

“You…don’t?” she asked hesitantly.

“No,” Kelly shook her head “we’re divorced, he can date whoever he wants to,” she frowned “you guys _are_ dating, right? This isn’t some kind of ‘friends with benefits’ thing, because let me tell you right now that those do _not_ work”

“No, no,” Alara shook her head “we’re dating”

“Oh, good” Kelly breathed.

“Good?” Alara asked.

“Yeah,” Kelly nodded “because if Ed ended up breaking your heart I’d be forced to break his legs,”

That earned a small shy smile from the younger woman.

“So…I gotta ask, how…?” Kelly asked.

“I don’t know, really,” Alara shrugged “uh, we started bumping into each other late at night in the corridors; you know how he wanders at night, right?”

“Oh god, tell me about it,” Kelly sighed.

“Anyway,” Alara continued “after we kept meeting up in the halls, we started having meals in the mess hall, and we got to talking, and then…,” she trailed off, shrugging “it just…happened”

“Yeah, that sounds familiar,” Kelly muttered “so, yesterday, that wasn’t…you know…your first time together, right? _Please_ tell that I didn’t spoil that” she pleaded.

“No,” Alara shook her head “that wasn’t our…you know”

“Oh good,” Kelly breathed a sigh of relief “so, how long’s this been going on?” she wondered.

“Uh…a month? Two months?” Alara shrugged as she slipped the boxing gloves off her hands and they headed for the doors, stepping out into the corridor.

“Wow, I gotta say, you two have been good at hiding it,” Kelly praised “seriously, I don’t think _anyone_ suspected it. I certainly didn’t,”

As they reached the lift, Kelly chuckled.

“You know, it’s kinda ironic,” she remarked as they stepped inside “I mean, Ed caught me in bed twice with someone else—the _same_ someone else, actually—so, maybe this is my karmic payback” she shrugged.

“Maybe,” Alara chuckled “so, we’re…still friends?” she asked.

“Still friends,” Kelly grinned “and, hey, speaking as Ed’s ex-wife, I think you two make a cute couple”

“You really think so?” Alara asked shyly.

“Yeah, I do” Kelly nodded as the lift opened and they stepped out, Alara stopping as Kelly suddenly took her arm and guided her towards a door.

“These are Ed’s quarters” Alara pointed out.

“Yep,” Kelly reached out and rang the chime “go on,” she encouraged “just…keep doing whatever you were doing”

Turning, she left Alara there as the doors slid open, a startled-looking Ed standing there.

“Oh,” he said “hi”

“Hi,” Alara said “can I come in?”

“Uh, yeah, sure, sure” stepping aside, he let her in, the doors shutting behind her.

“I talked to Kelly” she began as he busied himself with fluffing some throw pillows.

“And?” Ed asked slowly.

“Everything’s fine” Alara assured him.

“Oh thank god,” Ed sighed in relief as he sank down onto the sofa “I really worried that this was going to turn into a whole ‘thing’, you know?”

“I know, me too,” Alara nodded “but, I don’t think it will”

“You’re sure?” Ed asked “everybody’s OK with everybody else?”

“Yep” she nodded.

“And…us?” he asked hesitantly “we’re good?”

Reaching out, she took his hand, lacing their fingers together.

“We’re good” she confirmed.

Visibly relaxing, Ed leaned back, pulling her close.

“Good” he grinned as he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple…

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


End file.
